Moonrise Kingdom

Rated PG-13

Running time 1 hr 34 mins

Starring: Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel and introducing Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward

First let me say that I had never even heard of this movie when my wife tells me she wants to see it. So I said to myself, “Self, how many movies has she forced herself to sit through that you wanted to see?” With that thought in mind, I figured I could suffer through one for her. Then I decided to google it and was a little intrigued when I saw the star power. Now after having seen it, let me say it was a very enjoyable 1 ½ hours.

The movie is set on the fictional island of New Penzance in 1965. Sam (Jared Gilman) and Suzy (Kara Hayward) are a couple of 12 year olds that fall in love and run away from home. Everyone is out looking for them and meanwhile a hurricane is bearing down on the island inhabitants. This is their adventure. It takes the watcher in, never really slowing down along the way. You find yourself cheering on the two young lovers and laughing along at the antics of the supporting cast as they search for them.

Moonrise Kingdom is funny, quirky and heartwarming. Yes, I said heartwarming. Sometimes you just see a movie that brings a smile to your face. This film directed by Wes Anderson is one of those. The dialogue, as written by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, is short and to the point. No wasted words here. The actors do a very good job of conveying their emotions with body language and facial expressions.

The two young actors making their debuts as Sam and Suzy do an amazing job. Every other actor plays their part with just the right amount of quirkiness. The characters are all great fun to watch. The only thing particularly disturbing was seeing Bill Murray with his shirt off. That and the jewelry Sam makes for Suzy, I’m not going to tell you what it is. You’ll have to go see the movie to find out.

The movie is rated PG-13 for a reason. It has a couple of cuss words in it and there is a scene that would probably be construed as touching and funny by adults, but could leave younger viewers asking questions you’re not ready to answer yet. But bottom line is this movie is fun to watch and I highly recommend it.